2025 FAI Cup

[Nesta99]

Was as dull as a cup final gets really. Nobody at Rover and Bohs cares but it sums up Corks season of could and should be better. Card made a bit of a difference but tbh Rovers looked like the side that were going to take control. A lot of empty sections seems like a regression. Neutrals didnt bother, prices up? Dont know how many Cork fans travelled but Id say it was down on revious finals simply after relegation. As a game it was going through the motions stuff. Play-off final was more interesting to watch.

[outspoken]

Was as dull as a cup final gets really. Nobody at Rover and Bohs cares but it sums up Corks season of could and should be better. Card made a bit of a difference but tbh Rovers looked like the side that were going to take control. A lot of empty sections seems like a regression. Neutrals didnt bother, prices up? Dont know how many Cork fans travelled but Id say it was down on revious finals simply after relegation. As a game it was going through the motions stuff. Play-off final was more interesting to watch.

Fully agree, felt massively underwhelmed by it. Out of interest, did many people on here attend? I never saw another LOI jersey all day apart from the tow finalists which is unusual for cup final day.

[Shinkicker]

Shamrock Rangers? What are you like 12 years old?

I did it to poke fun at them as their previous sponsor 888 (looked like three poppies) and to see would some sucker react. Guess what? One did. Have you got your Mr Serious head on today?

[sbgawa]

I was there . Big surpriae
I felt incredibly rwlaxed from the start even when cork had a couple of shots i felt if they scored we would have juat upped a gear.

[Shinkicker]

I was there . Big surpriae
I felt incredibly rwlaxed from the start even when cork had a couple of shots i felt if they scored we would have juat upped a gear.

It looked fairly comfortable and was only a matter of time before you scored. Once they went down to 10 it was a matter of how many you would score. 2-0 left the whole thing looking respectable for both teams

[Kiki Balboa]

I was there . Big surpriae
I felt incredibly rwlaxed from the start even when cork had a couple of shots i felt if they scored we would have juat upped a gear.

Woke up even more annoyed at Cork they couldn't force Rovers to have to find another gear in a Cup final.

Rovers have played a huge amount of football this year, and where just back from Athens from a Thursday game. You couldn't have asked for better time to play Rovers in a final.

All they had to be was disciplined - Rovers were looking a bit sloppy to give them hope. Instead, we got a Cork team that didnt want to be there.

Two years in a row that a team has completely rolled over in the showcase.

Cork might have always lost that game , but go and make the other team beat you, dont beat yourself first.

You'd have to wonder about Nash how he couldn't galvanise a club going into a cup final , nevermind his bizarre in-game decisions. I will never understand taking off your captain center back and most senior player / holding midfielder right after conceding and being a man down. To throw your shape away at that time when you need to hold on is just ... I cant ...

It doesn't take a genius to work out you weren't going to get a grip of the game with those subs. Best is to keep the game alive and get into the last 10 where maybe Rovers might retreat to give you a chance.. Instead, you gift a second goal, and its over then and there.

[placid casual]

I guess some people just don't like to see Rovers winning 😄.
The irony being, of course,that the one team we would expect to absolutely loathe us winning were actually chuffed as it benefitted them! Riddle me that!

[Larry 'da' Wyse]

I went along as a neutral and really enjoyed it. At about 10 in a row now I reckon. Great atmosphere and decent standard. Thought Cork looked good in the first half. Coped really well with the out ball to Gaffney and were relaxed. Was thinking it might go to et until the card put and end to that theory straight away. Think 35k was given as the attendance.

[thebronze14]

Was as dull as a cup final gets really. Nobody at Rover and Bohs cares but it sums up Corks season of could and should be better. Card made a bit of a difference but tbh Rovers looked like the side that were going to take control. A lot of empty sections seems like a regression. Neutrals didnt bother, prices up? Dont know how many Cork fans travelled but Id say it was down on revious finals simply after relegation. As a game it was going through the motions stuff. Play-off final was more interesting to watch.

I'm in the minority then. Felt engaged up until the first goal. Was done then. Was a bridge too far after the sending off really but despite that I thought it was decent

[thebronze14]

Woke up even more annoyed at Cork they couldn't force Rovers to have to find another gear in a Cup final.

Rovers have played a huge amount of football this year, and where just back from Athens from a Thursday game. You couldn't have asked for better time to play Rovers in a final.

All they had to be was disciplined - Rovers were looking a bit sloppy to give them hope. Instead, we got a Cork team that didnt want to be there.

Two years in a row that a team has completely rolled over in the showcase.

Cork might have always lost that game , but go and make the other team beat you, dont beat yourself first.

You'd have to wonder about Nash how he couldn't galvanise a club going into a cup final , nevermind his bizarre in-game decisions. I will never understand taking off your captain center back and most senior player / holding midfielder right after conceding and being a man down. To throw your shape away at that time when you need to hold on is just ... I cant ...

It doesn't take a genius to work out you weren't going to get a grip of the game with those subs. Best is to keep the game alive and get into the last 10 where maybe Rovers might retreat to give you a chance.. Instead, you gift a second goal, and its over then and there.

Very harsh on Cork. Gave as good as they got until the sending off and even after. There's a reason they were relegated. They weren't all of a sudden going to become world beaters! Was much more of a contest than I thought

[EatYerGreens]

That’s the full house for Bradley. Could be on his way to pastures new next year.

I'll be stunned if he isn't.

[EatYerGreens]

I did it to poke fun at them as their previous sponsor 888 (looked like three poppies) and to see would some sucker react. Guess what? One did. Have you got your Mr Serious head on today?

Seriously lad. Know when to stop embarassing yourself

[EatYerGreens]

Was there myself (I haven't missed a final since before Covid). I did see a couple of people in Shels T-shirts and someone in a Harps top, but apart from that there definitely didn't seem to be as many 'LOI Neutrals' as in previous years.

What was really noticeable where we sat was the number of foreign nationals at the game. There was a big group of Spanish speakers to the front and on one side of us (supporting Cork. One of them was also watching Vallecano-Madrid on his phone at the same time), and Portuguese speakers behind us. And just over from us was a group of about 7 blokes speaking what sounded like German, who seemed to be supporting neither team. Interesting that our guest workers seem more likely to want to watch Irish football than a lot of the locals are (I'm assuming they werenlt all tourists).

Thought the attendance of 35,252 was both good and disappointing at the same time though. Good because these crowds are now the norm for our blue riband game. But disappointing because it involved a Dublin team and the second biggest city in the state, but had a smaller crowd than last year's final between 2 refgional/'provincial' sides. I know Rovers fans have had a lot of games on recently and Cork have had a terrible season, but I had hoped for fewer empty seats than were on display.

What happens re the President's Cup next year now? Presumably Derry contest it in the cup-winner's slot?

[Buckett]

What happens re the President's Cup next year now? Presumably Derry contest it in the cup-winner's slot?

Galway Utd should play it seeing as we control the Árus!

[Nesta99]

Maybe the semi final had a positive negative influence....thinking Cork had turned a corner, run out of road in the league but could show in the final what they should have in the league. All really it showed was how truly awful St Pats were. Most neutrals dig the underdog, it would have been amusing to see Bohs 4th place finish not be enough for Europe so they could get even angrier at Rovers, annoyance with Corks insipid (imo) performance isnt anti Rovers any more than neutrals hoping Drogs would beat the pre season perenniel champions elect last year. That worked oot great for Dundalk fans who see Drogs as anything more than a local nuisance in the end.

[TVFBLOCKF]

Galway Utd should play it seeing as we control the Árus!

I presume you mean Áras?

[Buckett]

Congratulations on finding a spelling mistake on the internet

[TVFBLOCKF]

Everyday is a school day, Buckett!

[ontheotherhand]

I'm in the minority then. Felt engaged up until the first goal. Was done then. Was a bridge too far after the sending off really but despite that I thought it was decent

Yeah, thought a neutral would've enjoyed it. Far more entertaining than most recent cup finals which have either gone to penos or been blowouts. Atmosphere was great from both sets of fans.

Cork did well considering the gulf in class. We looked a bit tired as you'd expect. Few lads clearly playing with knocks. Shame about the sending off for the neutrals but I think we would've won it regardless. Corks best chance was to keep it tight long enough for Gaffney and Burke to tire. We didn't have a lot on the bench. That said McGinty did make a few saves.

What a day. It's the best day in Irish sport.

Hard luck to the normal Cork fans. And a massive **** you to their podcast. Clowns.

Now, to update my signature again.

[Nesta99]

Congratulations on finding a spelling mistake on the internet

Im always impressed when people bother with any sinte fada!! I also once told a school inspector that An Uachtarán na hÉireann lived in An Uachtair Reiote...I was 5 and it seemed logical!

The interest or lack of dismissal of the domestic game here always fascinated. In England it I put it down to people supporting their own local side and not comparing it to the EPL. Here you could get someone go to a LoI game and say its not Old Trafford or wherever - what do they expect like. So if there is a daytripper type market for league games in the Aviva/cup final then it should be persued. Starting with figuring out why ticketmaster release tickets as they do or if allocated seating/sections would work for neutrals etc. Either wa as EYG suggests we're a bit disappointed with 35k, how many years running now above 30k and tell us that'd be the norm 20 years ago.